Commons
Westminster Hall
19 January 2026
3 contributions
Sale of Fireworks
My hon. Friend is making an important point on firework control zones. They were sold as a bit of a silver bullet, but unfortunately I heard from fire chiefs and police officers during my time as a councillor that they had been given no additional resources or funding to enforce them. That is surely…
It is a pleasure, Ms Jardine, to serve under your chairship today, and I thank the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for presenting these petitions on behalf of the Petitions Committee. It is clear that there is a strength of feeling about fireworks, not only in this place but up an…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
14 January 2026
Cost of Living
After 19 years of an SNP Government, does the Secretary of State agree that yesterday’s budget reflects broken public services and decades of economic stagnation? For many families, that means there is just too much month at the end of the money.
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Middle East and North Africa
Late last year, I met constituents who run a community link with Jayyous in the west bank. Villagers there have described a daily life of hostility and obstruction by police, and intimidating and threatening intrusions by nearby settlers, despite repeated Israeli court rulings in favour of the villa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
There can be no question but that it is for the people of Venezuela to choose its future and for the international community to support democracy and uphold international law. While there is no denying the illegitimacy and brutality of Maduro’s regime, does the Foreign Secretary share my fears that …
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) on securing this debate and on his fantastic opening speech. The debate is an ideal opportunity to look at Scotland’s proud industrial heritage and contribution to the world.
Although Scotland’s history and inventio…
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
Business of the House
Personal protective equipment is all too often based on outdated, non-specific measurements, which disproportionately impacts women, people with disabilities and those with religious requirements. It affects many workers, with asbestos masks that do not fit, a lack of female-fit fire boots, and glov…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
10 December 2025
Engagements
Q10. In Blackburn in West Lothian, St Kentigern’s academy was part demolished due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and it is being rebuilt at a cost of £35 million. West Lothian council found £20 million from its own stretched budget, but despite repeated pleas to the Scottish Cabinet Secr…
Commons
Petition
2 December 2025
Pornography and Violence against Women
I present this petition on behalf of my constituents on day 8 of the United Nations 16 Days of Activism.
Dangerous depictions of violence in offline pornography, such as in magazines, are rightly prohibited under UK law, yet no equivalent laws apply to online pornography, despite its scale and acce…
Commons
Proceedings
1 December 2025
2 contributions
Budget Resolutions
Does the hon. Member accept that 75,000 jobs were lost from the oil and gas sector between 2016 and 2024, under the previous Conservative Government? Does he welcome the North sea jobs service, which this Government will bring in next year?
Prior to last Wednesday I wanted to see a Budget that tackled the cost of living crisis while delivering the investment that would allow people and businesses to prosper—not an easy task, but this Budget has delivered. With the removal of the two-child limit, in one policy change this Labour Governm…
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
2 contributions
HMP Downview: Female Prisoners
Will my hon. Friend give way?
I thank my hon. Friend, and I thank the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) for securing the debate. At the beginning of her speech, my hon. Friend said that there were many vulnerable women in prisons, that over half of them had experienced domestic violence, and that many had experienced emotio…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 November 2025
Business of the House
Churches are the bedrock of our communities and play a particularly strong role at the heart of our villages. St Philomena’s church in Winchburgh has been a centre of spiritual, community and cultural life for 100 years. It celebrated that milestone with a special mass led by Archbishop Leo Cushley …
Commons
Proceedings
20 November 2025
Ukraine: Forcible Removal of Children
Russia’s kidnapping of children as a weapon in its illegal invasion of Ukraine is absolutely abhorrent and wicked, and I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Johanna Baxter) for her sterling efforts to make sure that these children are not forgotten in this place. Un…
Commons
Debate
5 November 2025
Drug-related Deaths
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. Scotland has had the highest number of drug deaths in Europe for seven years in a row; there were 1,017 in 2024. Does she agree that cuts to funding for rehabilitation facilities and drug and alcohol support services undermine the holistic, …
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 November 2025
Fresh and Nutritious Food: Inequality of Access
Does my hon. Friend agree that community gardens, such as the Whitburn community garden, which provides fresh fruit and vegetables to the local community fridge, as well as West Lothian food bank’s garden, can sometimes be the only way some people are able to access nutritious, fresh food?
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
North Sea Oil and Gas Industry
Does my hon. Friend agree that it is important to speak responsibly, with care and accuracy, about the successful UK arm of Petrofac? To do otherwise will only serve to undermine the business and job security that we all want to see across the House. What steps is he taking to ensure that it has a l…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
27 October 2025
2 contributions
Young People: Employment, Education and Training
7. What steps he is taking to support young people into employment, education or training.
With one in six young Scots not in education, employment or training, including hundreds across my constituency, I welcome the Government’s youth guarantee to give young people the training or job support they need. However, with stubborn youth unemployment, the Scottish Government’s swingeing cuts …
Commons
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Business of the House
Whitburn Community Development Trust is at the heart of the town, providing many vital services for local residents including a community fridge and garden. Last Saturday, Charlotte, David and the team hosted their first charity ball, raising more than £7,000 for local projects. Will the Leader of t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 October 2025
2 contributions
World Menopause Day
Does my hon. Friend agree that this issue not only has an impact on a woman’s feeling of self-worth and value, and on her career progression, but can have a severe economic impact on her family?
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Neath and Swansea East (Carolyn Harris) for securing this important debate.
I wish to start my remarks on World Menopause Day with a tribute to a simple yet powerful initiative: the menopause APPG, dilig…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Middle East
Like others, I welcome the ceasefire and the return of hostages to their families, but that is very much tempered by the loss of thousands of lives over these past two years—loved ones who will never return home. Elected representatives, humanitarian organisations and individuals across the world, i…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 October 2025
Glasgow Safer Drug Consumption Facility
As a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, I thank my hon. Friend for securing time for this statement. The report makes it clear that drug consumption rooms are just one of the tools that can be used to reduce drug-related harms and that one intervention must not come at the cost of another. Sc…
Commons
Debate
13 October 2025
Digital ID
I thank my right hon. Friend for her statement, which set out clearly how far the UK is lagging behind our European neighbours on faster and easier access to services. That said, my constituents have raised two main concerns with me, and I would be grateful if she could provide some reassurance. One…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 September 2025
Suicide Prevention
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher) on securing this debate and speaking so powerfully.
Last Friday, we had the honour of welcoming the Baton of Hope to Bathgate, Blackburn, Armadale and Linlithgow as it made its way across West Lothian.…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 September 2025
Business of the House
Last Saturday, the Linlithgow Union Canal Society celebrated its 50th anniversary with a flotilla from Winchburgh to Linlithgow, marking five decades of volunteer-led preservation and promotion of Scotland’s inland waterways. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating the society and its…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 September 2025
Early Education and Childcare
As a mother who at one point had three children under four and had to take time out of the workplace, I welcome the great strides made by this Labour Government to support parents and children. In Scotland, parents have access to 1,140 funded hours, but for too many parents—particularly those who wa…
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
Churches across the country are struggling to manage their estates, with many buildings going up for sale. Last Sunday, I attended a service of union, with the Bo’ness Old Kirk and St Andrew’s parish church uniting to form the new Bo’ness parish church. While there can be sadness at leaving a church…